Clothes-line attachment.



J. H. THOMAS.

CLOTHES LINE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APB..19, 1909.

936,058. Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

INVENTOH WITNESSES I .1 303%1lfifih0mas Arm/m V8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. THOMAS, OFvI-IOBOKEN, NEW-JERSEY.

CLOTHES-LINE ATTACHMENT.

To all whom a may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn H. THOMAS,

"acitizen of the United States, anda resident of Hoboken, county "of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Attachments, of which the following is a full, clear, and "exact description.

This invention relates more particularly "to a device which may be arranged within a room and which may be operated to move a clothes line located on the outside of the building.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient attachment or underthe ordinary methods of hanging and removing clothes 1n this manner, and which often results in loss 'of life by reason of a person becoming overbalanced and falling out of the window in an attempt to reach too far,'and whichattachment or device will permitthe clothes tobehung on the'line and to be moved the proper distance until the line'is full of articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment or device which maybe readily removed or held to the window frame, and which attachment may be made reversible to adapt it for either side of the window.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a simple winding means for a connection which is adapted'to bea'ttached to the clothes line in order that the same may be properly moved.

With these and other objects in View, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a window frame, showing one form of attachment embodying my invention, in position for use. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the device; and Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section showing the means for supporting the attachment to the window frame.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 19, 1909.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

Serial No. 490,819.

The window frame 10 may be of the usual construction, and at the outer side thereof may be provided with a hook 11 to which is held a pulley 12, around which passes the endless clothes line 13, thesaid line passing around a pulley carried by a support located on the building opposite or otherwise as is usual in apartment houses and otherbuildings wherein families-occupy different floors.

To the line 13 may be held a flexible connection in the form of a loop, and "this part 14 is adapted to pass around a pulley 15 which is held to an L-shapedbracketyhanger or device 16 and connected=to this device 16 at o-ne'end-thereof, as 17, is a ropeor other flexible connection 18 which is adapted to pass about a drum or reel 19. This reel may have an operating handle 20 securedthereto,

and said reel is held to rotate on a stud'21 or otherwisecarried by-a bar or member 22. The bar 22 is provided at one end with-an aperture'through which projects the-end 23 'ofa bolt 24;, and on the end of the bolt 24 is a thumb or other nut 25 which serves to hold the bar or member 22 rigidly thereto. A rod 24 is adjustably and 'detachably held in a bracket 26, and in said bracket is a thumb screw or bolt 27, the'end of which the member 22 is held to the bracket 26.

The two members 22 and 28 serve between them to form a hanger or support for the drum or winding element, and by having the member 28 pivotally held to the member 22, the attachment may be located on either side of the window frame by inverting the attachment, and by moving the bar 22 on its pivot it may still support the member or bar 22 from beneath the same as shown in the drawings, in which case similar brackets 26 and 32 are placed on the opposite side of the window frame, or the brackets are placed in this position in the first instance.

The drum may be held stationary and against rotation in any desired way. As

shown a bolt or locking device 33 is mounted to slide on the member 22, and has its body portion passing through an aperture in said member so that one end may extend far enough over to engage the handle 20 and thereby prevent the same from rotating as it would be likely to do by reason of the weight of the clothes on the line 13.

It will be seen that the clothes may be hung on the line 13 as usual and the line permitted to be moved in the usual way as each article is suspended therefrom, and in doing this the part 14 may be carried along with the line so that when it is desired to remove the clothes the said line may be pulled toward the window by operating the handle 20 so as to rotate the drum and wind the flexible connection 18 thereon, thus pulling the clothes inward toward the window, the locking device or bar being adapted to hold the crank 20 against rotation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple and efficient device or attachment may be readily placed within a room and removed when not in use, and which is adapted to avoid the necessity for a person While hanging clothes or removing the same from a line to lean outward far enough to become overbalanced as is often the case; that said attachment is simple in construction and may be easily made and assembled; that said device or attachment may be applied to either side of the window frame,

' and that said device maybe quickly removed when not in use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with brackets adapted for attachment to a window frame, of a plurality of rods held in said brackets, two hanger members held to the rods and pivoted to each other, a drum held to one of the hanger members, and a flexible connection passing around the drum adapted to be attached to a clothes line.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with brackets adapted for attachment to a window frame, a plurality of rods adjustably held in said brackets, a hanger held to the rods and means mounted on the hanger and adapted to be attached to a clothes line to move the latter.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a hanger and means for detachably holding the same to a support, of a drum rotatably held on the hanger, a handle connected to the drum, a locking device movably held on the hanger, a flexible connection, a support and a pulley held to the support and adapted for attachment to a clothes line.

4:. A device of the character described, comprising a hanger formed of two members pivotally held together, a bolt held to one of each member, a bracket for each bolt, means for holding the bolt in the bracket, a drum, a flexible connection, a locking device to prevent rotation-of the drum, and a device connected to the flexible connection and adapted for attachment to a clothes line.

5. A device of the character described, comprising a hanger formed of two members pivotally held together, a bolt held to one end of each member, a bracket for each bolt, means for holding the bolt in the bracket, a drum, a flexible connection, a transversely movable bolt forming a locking device to prevent rotation of the drum, and a pulley connected to the flexible connection and adapted for attachment to a clothes line.

6. A device of the character described, comprising a hanger formed of two members held together, a bolt held to one end of each member, a drum, a flexible connection transversely movable bolt forming a locking device to prevent rotation of the drum, a hanger and a pulley mounted in the hanger and connected to the flexible connection and adapted for attachment to a clothes line.

This specification signed and witnessed this 16th day of April A. D.-1909.

JOSEPH H. THOMAS. Witnesses:

WV. A. TowNER Jr., M. DINNHAUPT. 

